Viewpoints

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to Mr. Engle’s letter of November 14 in which he attempted to defend the Republicans’ massive tax give away to corporations and the wealthy.  Although corporations did face a top federal tax rate of 35%, given the loopholes and exemptions the corporate lobbyists had already written into the tax code, the actual rate corporations paid before the new tax bill was much lower.

One study of 280 of the largest corporations found they had pretax profits of $1.4 trillion, but the maximum any one of these corporations paid was about 28.5%, and some paid nothing at all.  Overall, the average rate was 13% to 15%.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that there is an old saying to the effect that government which governs least governs best.

The recent mid-term election, which still isn’t over, mainly thanks once again to Broward County, Florida and its incompetent supervisor of elections, would seem to indicate that Americans subscribe to that idea. Voters gave Democrats control of the house, but Republicans maintain control of the senate. That probably means very little legislation has a chance of succeeding.

If nothing else, election results show a nation badly divided, and ditto for the state of Iowa, but for a slightly different reason.

It isn’t universally true, but generally on the national scene the more populous West Coast and the Northeast states voted liberal, while the great mid-section voted conservative.

There’s a lesson to be learned there about the importance of the Electoral College to small population states.

Hooligans lit the fire in the first-grade classroom with a pile of textbooks. But textbooks apparently don’t burn very well. The classroom was destroyed, and the one next to it damaged, but that was all.

It was a Saturday evening, so the custodian called the principal at home to report the fire. When the principal arrived at the school, it wasn’t just the blackened remains of arson that made her sick. It was graffiti sprayed on the walls that truly turned her stomach: “No co-existence with cancer.” “Death to Arabs.”

The principal was an Arab, and her school was the rarest of things to be found in the heart of Jerusalem: a school whose students were 50 percent Arab and 50 percent Jewish. And on this dark night, she was in mourning.

“My first thought was, ‘Our dream is finished.’ Surely NO parent will want to send their children here anymore.”

To the Editor:

The big election was yesterday and it was disappointing to me, down right scary. Too many races were way too close when the right has been doing such a good job.

Iowa, the number-one state in the union, led by a Republican governor, has a well-off financial situation. States with Democratic governors are pretty much mismanaged. Thank God Hubbell was defeated.

I hope you remember how nasty they treated Judge Kavanaugh and his family - terrible, but that is what the left is like. That dossier was totally made up of lies, the woman who said Judge Kavanaugh assaulted her in the back seat of a car now admits it was a made-up story. Yet the Democrats and the fake news run with those lies.

To the Editor:

Thanks to Lissa Blake for her article on this lovely tribute to Harris Quanrud. Helen’s thoughts about her Uncle Harris brought tears to my eyes.

It is a story that tells so clearly what family members who had a father, son, brother, uncle, husband go off to serve during WWII had to go through. It was touching to hear how the family rallied to be sure that their service hero received letters. I can see Helen’s mother and aunt  crying with grief and worry.

Helen’s mom, Harriet, was my mother’s best friend all her life. Harriet was one of the kindest, gentlest people I ever knew. She was compassionate, enjoyed reading poetry aloud and she shared her love with everyone. I can only imagine that her brother, Harris, was like her.

To the Editor:

The Standard newspaper dated November 14, 2018, in the letter to the editor concerning “the upside down flag”, the last paragraph, first sentence, reads, in effect, that the only place I see impending horrors is downtown Waukon. That statement is as far from the truth as anything or anyone can get. Please forgive me for my failure for not being more careful about proofreading.

In an effort to change what I wrote last week, we don’t have the severe horrors in Waukon thanks to the vigilance and capabilities of the city police, county sheriff and highway patrol and the assistance of the residents of Waukon and all who enter there. And, last but not least, the prayers sent to Heaven, and our Heavenly Father who answers and gives His protection.

Nanferd Felke
Waukon

To the Editor:

I am horrified by the hate and falsehoods contained in the letter entitled, “The Upside Down Flag” published in the November 14 edition of The Standard. The only thing worse than espousing such blatant racism and anti-gay rhetoric is the fact that it is done in the name of religion. This hate speech has no place in the media. I am shocked and deeply saddened that you would choose to publish it.

While representing a diversity of opinions is good, printing such overt and horrifying hate is inexcusable. Mr. Editor, shame on you for giving this unmitigated hate a voice.

Matt Brandt
Cedar Rapids
 

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that I had to smile to myself recently when I looked at the issue of National Geographic that had arrived.

There were several photos of dark-skinned South American native females with bare breasts. It brought to memory the olden days when librarians, school and municipal, felt the need to leaf through issues of the magazine before shelving one, to make sure young boys didn’t see such things. It still happens a few times, as I recall after being a subscriber for many years.

I wonder if that still goes on? Maybe not, since the advent of such magazines as Playboy and Penthouse have provided the opportunity for American boys to see American girls in like mode of undress. Or more. Or less, more accurately.

Thankfulness to God - Psalm 116:7-18

I thank God for the life and the care he has given to me to share this word with you about Thanksgiving. The word Thanksgiving means thanking God for the things He has given us.

November is the month we give thanks to God and we remember the good things God has done for us in our lives.

In the bible, King David was thinking about all the good things God had done for him such as delivering him from enemies and giving him peace.  He asked himself “What shall I render to the Lord for all the bounty he has given to me.” (II Samuel 7:1-3) King David worshipped and thanked God saying “I’ll worship you and give glory among the People.” (Psalm 40:10-11)

So today I want you to thank God for all the good things he has done for you. Jesus died on the cross for our sin. We thank God for the sacrifice of his son who gave his blood for us so we can have life eternal.  Amen.   

To the Editor:

I have been having a bad night; somehow (I think) I got hold of some potato salad that may have been more than a couple days old. But during my sleepless night I pondered the letter I had received in the mail, dated 10-25-2018. The return address was “City of Waukon”.

The important message was that my property is not covered with Exterior Water Line Coverage from Service Line Warrants of America, which has partnered with the City of Waukon to offer the coverage to eligible home owners. But for peace of mind, I could buy this protection for just $6.33 per month or just $75.96 annually.